Hair and scalp treating apparatus



May 18, 1937. L. A. CARTER HAIR AND SCALP TREATING APPARATUS Filed Jan. v, 1955 INVENTOR; L.A. CARTER TTORNEYS Patented May 18, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,081,034 I 1mm AND SCALP TREATING APPARATUS Lionel A. Carter, Webster Groves, Mo.

' Application January 7, 1935, Serial No. 597

5 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus of the type that is used to treat the hair and/or scalp with steam or vapor, and has for its main object to provide an apparatus of the kind mentioned; that 5 is eflicient and inexpensive to operate.

Another object is to provide an inexpensive device, of simple design, that is adapted to be combined with a hair drierof the re-circulating type to convert the same into an apparatus for 10 treating the hair and/or scalp with steam or vapor.

Briefly described, my broad idea consists of a. steam or vapor treating apparatus for the hair and/or scalp, whichcomprises a hood that is 15 adapted to be arranged in such relationship with the users head, that the top and back portions of the head are positioned inside of the hood, a porous or absorbent element, saturated with moisture or a treating agent, and arranged in said hood in such a way as to substantially encase, enclose or "surround the hair on the users head without bearing directly thereon, and means for re-circulating heated air in said hood in such a manner as to cause the moisture or treating agent with-which said porous or absorbent element is saturated or impregnated to be converted into vapor which effectively acts upon the users hair and penetrates to the scalp. The hood of the apparatus may be of any preferred construction,

30 any suitable means may be used to re-circulate heated air inside of the hood, and the porous or absorbent element may be of any preferred shape and construction and mounted either permanently or removably inside of the hood. In the pre- 35 ferred form of my invention herein illustrated the porous or absorbent element is constructed in the fbrm of an accessory or attachment for hair driers that may be easily inserted in the headreceiving opening of the hood of a conventional 40 hair drier of the re-circulating type, so as to convert the same intoa steam or vapor treating apparatus for the hair and/or scalp, but, as previously stated, my broad idea contemplates an apparatus in which theporous or absorbent ele- 5 ment either forms an integral part of the apparatus, or .is constructed so as to be capable of being easily installed in or removed from the hood of the apparatus.

Figure 1 of the drawing is a vertical longitudi- 50 nal sectional view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a, perspective view of the porous or absorbent element, and the means for sustaining same in operative position inside of the hood of 55 the apparatus; and r.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view, taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

In the accompanying drawing, which illus trates the preferred form of my invention, A designates the hood of a hair drier of the re- 5 circulating type, which hood has a single, chamber provided at one end with an opening that is adapted to receive the head of the user, as illustrated in Figure 1, B designates a fan in said hood constructed so that when it is in operation heated air will be discharged forwardly in a swirling path adjacent the side wall of the chamber in which the users head is positioned, as indicated by the arrows x, and will then reverse and flow rearwardly back to the center of the fan, as indicated by the arrows y, and C designates one or more electrically-operated heating elements arranged in the hood in the path of the returning air, so as to cause the air to be heated before being projected forwardly by the fan, the fan B being driven by an electric motor D arranged on the exterior of the hood A and preferably mounted on the upper end wall I of the same. The

, chamber of the hood A is provided with a side wall that is slightly tapered, and the fan B is of such construction and arrangement with relation to the side wall of said chamber, that when I the fan is in operation, a low pressure area will be created at approximately the center of said chamber, and a high pressure area will be created at or adjacent'the side wall of said chamber, the vortex at the center of the chamber exerting sufficient pull on the forwardly-flowing heated air to cause it to cascade onto the users head,- and then return to the fan, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 1, instead of escaping through the opening'at the front end of the chamber in which the user's head is positioned. In the hair drier herein illustrated the hood A is provided at its open end with an inwardly-projecting flange E that sur- 40 rounds the user's head and which is of such diameter that some air can enter and escape from the chamber of the hood through the opening of said chamber in which the users head is positioned. I 5

A porous or absorbent element F, formed of fabric or porous material capable of being impregnated/or saturated with moisture or with a treating agent, is positioned in the open end of the hood A, so as to substantially surround or 5 encase the users hair without contacting or bearing upon the same. Usually, the element F will be made of very porous textile, such as Turkish toweling, and constructed in the form of a cap that is stretched over a wire frame or other suitable supporting means G, which, when positioned in the open end of the hood A, will be held in place by spring pressure. If desired, the element may be provided with slits or openings F, so as to insure the air passing through said element and coming in contact with the users hair and scalp. Attached to the bottom edge of the element F is a band F of fairly close texture fabric equipped with a drawstring or similar device F that is adapted tobe tightened so as to draw the free edge of said band into snug engagement with the users'head below the hair line, and thus prevent the open end of the hood A. When the finger pieces 3 are released the ring 3 will expand, and thus cause curved portions 2' of the side pieces 2 to snap into engagement with a cushioning ring E mounted on the inwardly-projecting flange E at the lower end of the hood A, therebysecurely holding the porous and absorbent element F in operative position in the hood A, but permitting said element to be easily removed when it is desired to use the apparatus as a hair drier.

In using the apparatus above described, the cap-shaped element F is saturated with moisture or with a,treating agent, and is then positioned over the' wire frame G, which thereafter is arranged in operative position in the lower end of the hood A. After the user's head has been positioned inside'ofthe frame'G, the drawstring-F of the band F is tightened, so as to produce a fairly close fit between said band and the users head below the hair line, and thus prevent the steam or vapor from escaping from the interior of the element F through the opening of said element in which the users head is positioned. When the fan B is set in operation, the heated air that is circulated and re-circulated inside of the hood A and through the element F, will rapidly evaporate themoisture in the element F, and thus produce a vapor which acts on the -users hair and penetrates to the scalp. The openings F in the element F and the meshes of the fabric of which said element is constructed, permit the air to circulate effectively through the user's hair and the vortex that is created at the center of the hood has a tendency to raise the hair from the users scalp, thus causing the hair or hair and scalp to be effectively treated by the vapor produced by the action *of the heated air on the saturated element F, inside of which the users head is positioned. At the completion of the steam or vapor treatment, the frame G and element F can be easily removed from the hood A, thus restoring the drier to its normal condition.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A hair or scalp treating apparatus, comprising a hood provided at one end with an opening,-

' means for circulating heated air in said hood, a

substantially cap-shaped, porous or absorbent element in the opening of said hood, constructed so as to substantially encase and be maintained in spaced relationship with the top and back portions of the users head, said element being adapted to be saturated or impregnated with a substance which will be converted into a vapor and circulated through the user's hair, by the action of said heated air, and means for preventing the vapor from escaping at the lower edge of said cap-shaped element.

2. A hair or scalp treating apparatus, comprising a hood provided at one end with an opening, an air heating means in said hood, a fan in said hood for circulating and re-circulating the air in the hood, and means for maintaining a porous or absorbent element in said hood in such a way "as to substantially encase, surround or enclose the portion of the users head covered with hair, said element being adapted to be impregnated or saturated with a substance, which, when acted upon by the heated air, will create a. vapor that is brought into intimate contact with the hair and scalp, by the action of the circulating air.

3. An accessory or attachment for hair driers of the type that comprise a hood for receiving the head of the user, comprising a wire frame adapted to be positioned in the head-receiving opening of the hood of the hair drier, an expansible portion on said frame that co-acts with the hood to-retain said frame in operative position, and a substantially cap-shaped element of porous or absorbent material stretched over said frame so as to substantially encase and be maintained in spaced relationship with the top and back portions of the users head, and adapted to be impregnated with moisture or a treating agent.

4. The combination of a hair drier hood provided at one end with a head-receiving opening equipped with an inwardly-projecting flange, a removable wire frame positioned in said opening and provided with portions that are adapted to snap into engagement with said flange, and a porous or absorbent coveringfor said frame maintained in spaced relationship with the top and back portions of the user's head and adapted to be impregnated or saturated with moisture or other suitable treating agent.

5. An accessory or attachment or hair driers of the type that comprise a. hood for receiving the head of the user, consisting of a skeleton-like supporting device adapted to be positioned in the head-receiving opening of the hood of the hair drier, a substantially cap-shaped, porous or absorbent element on said supporting device constructed so as to substantiallyencase and be maintained in spaced relationship with the top and back portion of the users head, and adapted to be impregnated or saturated with a substance which will produce or create a vapor on'the interior of said element when subjected to heat, and means at the lower edge of said cap-shaped element for preventing the vapor on the interior of said element from escaping from said element 

